Tag Archives: BBC World Service

BBC World Service Radio Archive: how you can help

The BBC World Service Radio Archive (Prototype) contains over 50,000 digital recordings, spanning 45 years of the World Service; indeed, more than the BBC can tag and categorize by hand. Read below to learn how you can create a login with the archive, browse, listen to and tag recordings if you wish.

(Source: BBC Research and Development)

BBC Research & Development is running an experiment with the BBC’s World Service radioarchive to demonstrate how to put large media archives online using a combination of algorithms and people. With your help we aim to comprehensively and accurately tag this collection of BBC programmes.

This prototype website includes over 50,000 English-language radio programmes from the BBC World Service radio archive spanning the past 45 years, which have all been categorised by a machine. You can explore the archive, listen to the programmes and help improve it by validating and adding tags.

[Click here for more details…]

Many thanks to Mike Barraclough for the tip!

The BBC launches a new, interactive news program

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Ros Atkins, host of Outside Source (Photo: BBC Media Centre)

See full press release below–many thanks to Richard Cuff for the tip:

(Source: BBC Media Center)

The BBC has today announced development of a brand new news programme, Outside Source, hosted by Ros Atkins, to be broadcast across its international platforms – BBC World Service Radio, BBC World News TV and BBC.com.

This innovative new show will link the BBC’s global network of journalists with a worldwide audience using the latest in broadcast technology.

Broadcasting live from the BBC’s new state-of-the-art newsroom in the redeveloped Broadcasting House, London, the programme is launching initially on World Service Radio. It is then planned to develop the format to provide audiences with a fully integrated web, radio and TV experience.

Outside Source aims to open up the news process, enabling people to discover the latest on the stories that matter to them. An hour-long World Service Radio show is the first element of the pan-Global News format to be brought to air. Outside Source will be broadcast weekdays between 11am and 12pm GMT.

The programme will then be developed to include an online element, encouraging audiences to share their knowledge and experience of that day’s stories, no matter where they are in the world, via social media.

The online roll-out will be followed by the TV offering, due early in 2014 – a half-hour programme on BBC World News, the BBC’s international 24-hour television news channel – broadcast in the early evening GMT.

Using the latest technology means, Ros won’t be tied to a studio for the live broadcasts. He’ll be moving around Broadcasting House so listeners are getting the latest information on stories from our reporters, whether they are in one of the 27 language services or part of the BBC’s team of correspondents. Plus there will be ample opportunity for the audience to comment and add insight about stories happening where they are.

Sharing the ethos behind Outside Source, Editor Mark Sandell comments: “Outside Source is an exercise in open journalism. It aims to open up the news process and involve the audience in understanding the news. It will be technologically advanced and ambitious but also transparent and accessible. We want it to be ‘in the moment’ as we and the audience are discovering the news.”

Introducing the new programme, Ros Atkins says: “We are all incredibly excited about the new show. Such an innovative programme is only possible because of our new facilities here at Broadcasting House. While our starting point will be the expertise we have in the building, such as our language services and our bureaux teams, we’ll also be using social media and story communities to complement what we are discovering and to find out what our audience is making of the news. Outside Source will show we really are the world’s newsroom.”

Outside Source will launch first on BBC World Service on Monday 28 October at 11am GMT weekday mornings.

Call me anachronistic, but I listen to digital tech shows on shortwave

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While I’m passionate about shortwave radio–a technology that has, of course, been around for many decades–I also love to hear about emerging digital technologies, especially those that make our world a better place.

These days, I listen to several shows about technology, many of which are only available as a live stream or podcast (like TWIT, for example).

There are two shows, however, that I like to listen to on shortwave radio when my schedule allows.

One such show is the BBC World Service technology show, Click (formerly Digital Planet). I’ve listened to Click for years, and have even been interviewed on the show by its marvelous host Gareth Mitchell (click here to listen). I especially love the show’s focus on technologies that have a positive impact in developing countries (hence my interview, about my non-profit, ETOW). Mitchell, I’m delighted to add, is quite the fan of shortwave radio as well, and is not afraid of reporting on technologies that are not exclusively tied to smart phones and the like.

Another show I’ve been listening to for a few months is Download This Show on Radio Australia. It’s a fun and informative technology program and always has a great panel discussion on technology news. What I really love about this show is its take on Australian technology in particular, and how this compares with technology in the rest of the world.

Since Download This Show is broadcast via Radio Australia’s Shepparton transmitting site, the signal is quite strong here in North America and easily received on portable shortwave radios.

Click here to download over two hours of Radio Australia, including Download this Show, or listen via the embedded player below. This broadcast was recorded on August 2, 2013, on 9,580 kHz, starting around 13:00 UTC.

You’ll find Download This Show in the second hour of the recording, following the news headlines at 1:05.

Brian Hongwe reports on importance of shortwave radios in Zimbabwe

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Many thanks to Dave for sharing this excellent radio documentary from the BBC World Service show, The Fifth Floor. In this brief report, reporter Brian Hongwe clearly explains why police are seizing shortwave radios and arresting those who own them in the run up to the Zimbabwe elections.

Hint: Information = power / Shortwave radio = information / Those in power fear shortwave radio

Click here (or use the embedded player below) to listen to this short segment or listen to the entire program–definitely worth it!– on The Fifth Floor’s web page.

This post has been tagged in our ever-growing collection labeled: Why Shortwave Radio?

Shortwave Radio Recordings: BBC World Service to the British Antarctic Survey

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View of Bird Island, South Georgia, where one of the British Antarctic research stations is located. (Source: British Antarctic Survey)

Mentioned earlier today, here is the recording of the BBC World Service’s thirty minute broadcast to the British Antarctic Survey. I was able to receive a relatively strong signal at 21:30 UTC on 9,890 kHz from the World Service’s Wooferton transmission site.

Click here to download the full recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. I will also post this on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

Catch the BBC’s annual broadcast to the British Antarctic Survey Team

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Halley VI: The British Antarctic Survey’s new base (Source: BBC)

Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the 41 scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team.

The BBC will play music requests and send special messages to the team of 41. It’s guaranteed to be quirky, nostalgic and certainly DX worth catching.

The British Antarctic Survey celebrates today (their longest, darkest winter day) with the same enthusiasm as Christmas. The BBC noted:

The base commanders rise early to cook breakfast for their staff, presents are exchanged, there are sports and even, weather permitting, a mad streak in the snow! Feasting continues before they gather round a shortwave set to listen to the traditional broadcast packed with greetings from their family and friends back home together with music requests and messages from the British Antarctic Survey and a few celebrities. Finally the Antarctic horror movie The Thing is screened. For those who know the plot, perhaps it is just as well there are no longer sledge dogs in Antarctica…

The great part? You too can catch the broadcast if you’re in the right part of the world to hear it. I’ll attempt to record either the Ascension Island or Woofferton broadcast myself, if conditions make it possible.

The program will air today, June 21, 2013 at 21:30 UTC on the following frequencies:

7,350 kHz; Ascension; 207°
9,890 kHz; Woofferton; 182°
5,965 kHz; Dhabayya; 203°

Many thanks to Sheldon Harvey for the reminder and for especially confirming the broadcast time. Even though this event happens on the same day each year (ironically on my birthday) I often forget to catch it myself.

Please submit your recordings of this broadcast to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

After listener feedback, BBC World Service restores MW service to Israel and Middle East

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Antennas-001 SWLing Post reader David commented on June 8 that he heard the return of the BBC World Service on 1,323 khz BBC Zygi, Cyprus relay.

The BBC Media Centre confirms:

The BBC World Service has confirmed that MW transmissions to Israel and other parts of the Middle East will resume for 10hrs per day on 1323kHz starting on Friday 7 June.

This will give listeners breakfast listening and then drive-time and evening coverage from about 4pm to 10pm.

The morning hours are as 02:59:30 to 06:59:30 GMT and the evening schedule will be 12:59:30 – 18:59:30 GMT.

Steve Titherington, World Service Commissioning Editor, says: “We had a huge response to the end of MW transmissions in Israel and we are responding positively to listeners’ demands for a return to of the BBC broadcasts. Cutbacks mean we can’t return to a full day-long schedule, but we will broadcast at times when we hope audiences are most likely to listen. We want to thank our listeners for their feedback and would welcome any further comment they have about how suitable these new broadcasting times are for tuning into the BBC World Service.”

As previously announced four hours per day of World Service English will continue on 720kHz until 22:59:30 on 21 June.